Abstract
The parasite community structure of the neotropical cormorant, Phalacrocorax brasilianus, from two lagoons (Coyuca and Tres Palos) from Guerrero state, México, was examined. Fourteen species of adult helminths (6,391 individuals) from 48 cormorants were identified: 9 digeneans, 1 acanthocephalan, 1 cestode, and 3 nematodes. A total of 11 species were collected in Coyuca Lagoon and 12 in Tres Palos Lagoon. Nine species co-occurred in cormorants of both lagoons but, with the exception of Contracaecum multipapillatum and Drepanocephalus olivaceus, species were not equally common in both lagoons. The prevalence values of six species of helminth and the mean abundance of four species varied significantly between lagoons, and C. multipapillatum was numerically dominant in both lagoons. The qualitative similarity between the two communities at the component level was 64%. All cormorants examined were infected, and parasite species richness was 3–5 in Coyuca and 4–9 in Tres Palos lagoon. The results indicate that both communities presented a similar structure at the component level, probably because the cormorants of both lagoons feed on the same species of fish and thus acquire almost the same species of parasites. Differences observed at the infracommunity level were attributed to variations in the degree of dominance of the particular species.
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Acknowledgments
This research was possible in part because of a collaborative project “Calidad Ambiental y Desarrollo Sustentable: Inventario Ambiental y Establecimiento de Indicadores Regionales” financed by the Programa de Mejoramiento del Profesorado (PROMEP). The authors thank Francisco Javier Aguilar Palma of the Marine Ecology Academic Unit (UAG) for his assistance with field and laboratory work. We are also grateful to Rogelio Aguilar and David Osorio Sarabia (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México–UNAM) for their assistance in identifying some of the species of helminth, as well as to Luís García Prieto (UNAM) who helped us obtain important bibliographic references for the realization of this manuscript.
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Violante-González, J., Monks, S., Gil-Guerrero, S. et al. Parasite communities of the neotropical cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus (Gmelin) (Aves, Phalacrocoracidae) from two coastal lagoons in Guerrero state, Mexico. Parasitol Res 109, 1303–1309 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2377-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2377-5